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Windows 10 Is Free, Not Free, an Upgrade?

This weekend has been very confusing for Windows 10 users, who follow the tweets and social media accounts of the company. The company including Gabe Aul has sent mixed messages about Windows 10 and its availability, but on Monday, the company set the record straight for many users.

The confusion about Windows 10 started late Friday night, when Gabe Aul and Microsoft detailed ways to get Windows 10 at no cost, for anyone. This would include an activated and genuine copy, but Microsoft quickly pulled away from that on Monday. They needed to clarify it quickly for all users.

Microsoft Backtracking

Over this past weekend, Microsoft has had to backtrack on its plans and availability of Windows 10 in a major way. The company had to redo its blog post and clarify a third update. Initially it stated all users would get Windows 10, then stated an official path to Windows 10 could exist, and on Monday confused many.

The words of the final blog post on Monday stated that users who have Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 would be eligible for the Windows 10 upgrade. Some confusion existed with the group of Windows 10 Insiders and their ability to upgrade. While this is a specialized group, it still needs some clarification.

Still No Final Answer

In its final post on Monday, Microsoft stated that Windows 10 is to be intended to be installed on Genuine Windows devices. The Windows Insider program is a little different as people generally have it setup on virtual machines. People can upgrade after 7/29 and continue to be an insider, or stop being an insider.

By continuing to be an insider, continuous builds will be delivered to users, and the final release on 7/29 will also be given to them. By opting out of the program, users will need to get a license for Windows 10, whether it be a full retail version, or via the Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 updgrade path.

Microsoft clearly needs to explain this better. Windows Insiders helped them with it, and they need to treat them better with it.

Written by:Dave Amodt Dave is our news reporter, he reports on everything Microsoft, including MSFT (stock news), related Windows news as well as most hardware news.Dave runs his own content production company and publishes new content every weekday on our site. If you want to stay up to date on everything Microsoft, make sure to subscribe to Dave. He's also on Google+